Natural Balance
by DiscardedNotes
Summary: As the Guardians and other spirits are chosen, so are those who choose them. Guided by ethereal concepts of being, they are all guided and chosen in some way. But balance has never been something easy to achieve, and when one takes the chosen of another, what is there left to do but to attempt to set things right?


**A/N: I would have posted this under Discarded Assembly, but since it's not a crossover, nor a HP fic that option has been denied. And since I'm actually immensely fond of this chapter despite never having posted it anywhere, I figured it did deserve its own spot. (and I do so love speculating about Dark!Jack)**

 **I hope you guys like this one, I know I sure do~**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

He looked down on the world and frowned.

Once more her little pets had made everything better again and the light ruled over these lands, lands he and his had once called their own. Arrogantly she upturned the balance they were meant to keep, time and time again.

As they say, the villains never win, but they never took into account the natural order of things. Everything casts a shadow and the darkness is as natural as the light. So it only made sense that the darkness once more took a foothold in the worlds.

There were many but this was his favourite. The toys they had created for themselves here were delightfully stubborn and came in the form of spirits, striving to be acknowledged and believed in. As a Guardian, their entire strength depended on it, as his favourite pawn had proven last Christmas.

While Pitch recuperated from the blow, it was time to plan...

Pitch Black growled as he stalked through his lair, once more finding his nightmares cowering at his feet. How dare they have turned his pets against him, not to mention the way he had been treated as well. Once more he had been discarded as unimportant and not even something to be feared. The children no longer saw him either, which frustrated him beyond belief.

All those happy little shining lights on the globe deserved to be snuffed out!

Then there was the matter of Jack Frost, newly made guardian and puppet of the Man in Moon, despite having been left alone by his maker for three whole centuries without an identity or memories. Really, such injustice and still he fought for the joy of others.

Frost could cause destruction, accidents and pain as well as fun in the snow. Just as he could instil fear for the dark, he could also cause a healthy dose of fear of those things that may hurt them. It was a very backseat role but what was he to do about it?

Suddenly the world around him became an incorruptible darkness and he smiled. It seemed his guiding hand through time was here to help him strive forward once more.

Jack shivered as he watched an odd sort of darkness travelling through the night sky. He knew for a fact that it wasn't caused by Pitch since the man was far too weak from their fight to be able to pull off something like this. Besides, this was nothing like the nightmare sand he was familiar with, instead approaching him rapidly like black fog.

"Wind, faster!" He called, feeling a boost as he rose higher, attempting to escape the blackness. What was happening? He couldn't even see through the fog below him, that's how thick it was...

Suddenly it burst up capturing him in an encompassing bubble of blackness, which once more made him shiver. Something wasn't right here; this was far from natural!

" _Oh, so clever Jack. This fog is far from natural, but you have nothing to fear from me, my young spirit."_

"Who are you?!" he called out, swirling around in a weak attempt to find someone or something else in this sphere. And yet there was no up nor down, no left and right... It was definitely making his head spin.

" _I am one of the makers of the universe, little Jack. She and I rule these lands, each through our own representatives."_ The voice purred, almost as if smirking, despite not baring a face.

"Made these— Wait a minute, you're talking about Pitch, aren't you?" That proved it; there was definitely something to be suspicious about, perhaps even afraid, if this really was a god. He was already helpless like this...

" _Very good. She made the Man in Moon to appoint her representatives, but you... You were an undetermined soul she had no use for in a span of three_ hundred _years and she left you on your own, with no memories and no one to even give you company. And only once she needed you, you were called in."_

Jack glared at the darkness but he knew there was truth in what he said. He had been abandoned for centuries and now... Now he was a Guardian.

"I'm not alone anymore, that's all that matters!"

" _Really Jack, do you even believe that? Bunnymund is busy with his eggs, Nick still doesn't let you into his workshop because he doesn't trust you and Toothiana is constantly flying herself in a tizzy. Even Sandy has his hands full lately. They have no time to spare for you Jack, surely you've noticed?"_

Jack averted his eyes bitterly. He knew that was true but there would be time. They said he could come visit whenever he wanted and he still had Jamie as well.

" _Oh Jack, getting attached isn't a good thing, you know that. They all grow old, stop believing and then they die. If you grow attached to a human, you'll only suffer."_

It hurt, the deep cold that penetrated him at those words, brought only through the way the other being spoke. It wasn't right. He wanted to stay with Jamie and have fun, fly around, tease Bunny and try to break into the workshop anyway. Surely little Tooth would have time for him eventually.

But a part of him didn't entirely believe the words he'd convinced himself with daily. Even though he was used to being alone and it really shouldn't bother him so much, it still did. Despite the Guardians' promises to stand by him and such, they still never had time. And it was because this fog— no, this _being,_ was forcing him to face the truth he had tried to deny, that he felt so overwhelmed right now. All in all, was it really even something to be surprised by?

But then he remembered the times they had fought against Pitch together, the times of fun and of sadness, and the way they had still fought together as a group, because that's what they were supposed to be, yet somehow they weren't. But in the end, weren't the children their primary concern? The children, they were the ones the guardians were meant to protect and that was what he had vowed to do. That was a promise he would stand by.

The bubble of fog surrounding him seemed to shift as a low chuckle sounded through the air.

" _You are quite right, young Jack. You already know the truth, and need no prodding from me to realise it with more clarity. There is no need to worry about the children though; we pose no threat to them."_

Unsurprisingly, Jack was rather sceptical concerning the being's claims. If Pitch was one of his underlings, then he would definitely have a hard time believing that.

"Really? Because Pitch's actions have shown otherwise!" He blurted out angrily, remembering the pain and fear the children had gone through. And while it had brought to the surface his own center, he till didn't like the way it had happened.

" _Calm yourself, young one. There is no need to fret. The children were never truly in danger and while yes, they were less happy, they also learned a valuable lesson. Not all life is joy and happiness. Need they not be ready for the harsh reality? A reality you yourself have suffered from because of the selfishness of others?_

Sure, that was true in a way, but he wanted Jamie and the others to be happy while they were young, to just have fun and be unconcerned by the world like children their age should be! But it was the beings' next words that distracted him the most.

" _Unlike the Guardians however, it is I and mine that continue to watch over them, even as they grow older. We have no belief to use and no way to manifest our intent to them truly, but humans are very susceptible to negative emotions, and it is in these emotions that we guide them away from the largest dangers. Think on that, young Guardian."_

In a whirl of wind, the fog was gone as though it had never been there before, leaving a clear sky and a very confused spirit behind. What exactly had just happened? He knew that hadn't been a dream but that was maybe exactly what was so disturbing about it. He needed to think...


End file.
